SKIP 0.3

SKIP version 0.3 (Software Keyboard for Impaired Users; in Italian: Tastiera Software per Utenti Disabili) is an improved version of a software keyboard for improving the efficiency of typing in languages with transparent orthography (i.e., languages with highly regular correspondence of orthography and phonetics) by impaired users or non-expert users. To this aim, a powerful orthogonal framework has been used in which the keyboard is defined as a 2-D regular array of keys, so that the number of pressed keys and the key access time are significantly reduced. In fact motor-impaired users (as well as non-expert users) can fast and intuitively input any possible combination of pseudo-syllables, which are text entry units with simpler consonant-vowel phonemic structure. Further speed improvements are obtained with the cooperative use of an embedded word prediction and completion tool. The tool, which runs on single-threaded PC's equipped with Windows XP and previous, has been improved with some significant new features. First, typing speed has been further enhanced by giving the possibility to select more complex pseudo-syllabic structures through local syllabic completion menus associated to the keys. Second, it is optionally possible to add explicative iconic and audio outputs to the keys and explicative icons to the words proposed by the word prediction and completion tool; this to provide iconic and/or audio feedbacks for users with reading difficulties.